Wildcats report: Strategy and personnel
Chase Budinger, Nic Wise and Jordan Hill accounted for 77 percent of the Wildcats' scoring on the two-game swing through Oregon.
PLAYER ROTATION
Usual starters -- F Chase Budinger, F Jordan Hill, G Zane Johnson, G Kyle Fogg, G Nic Wise. Key subs -- F Jamelle Horne, G Garland Judkins, C Alex Jacobson.
GAME REVIEW
Arizona 66, Washington State 56
Arizona 56, Oregon State 53
Arizona 87, Oregon 77
Arizona 83, USC 76
GAME PREVIEW
vs. UCLA, Saturday, Feb. 14
at Arizona State, Sunday, Feb. 22
IN FOCUS
If the Wildcats want to show they're serious in the Pac-10, they must get over the hump against UCLA. Their 83-60 loss at Pauley Pavilion last month was their worst in the series since before coach Lute Olson arrived 25 years ago. Arizona lost just 68-66 to the Bruins at McKale Center last season, but has dropped eight straight in the series, a streak unmatched since losing 11 in a row through 1984.
ROSTER REPORT
--C Jordan Hill, who entered Thursday's game averaging 18.3 points and 11.5 rebounds -- one of the top candidates for Pac-10 Player of the Year -- suffered an ankle injury with 12:08 left in the first half. He came down on the foot of USC's Leonard Washington after grabbing the rebound from DeMar DeRozan's missed free throw. Hill stayed on the ground for a couple of minutes and left for the training room, but he returned to the game with 10:58 to go in the half to great applause -- and relief -- from the home crowd. He played the entire second half but wasn't 100 percent.
--F Chase Budinger, who has been determined to get to the rim more often in the past several games, scored 25 points against USC. He is averaging 22.2 in his past five games.
--Arizona, which doesn't have a head coach or a signed prospect for next season, is still recruiting through the efforts of assistant coach Reggie Geary, who figures to have the best chance of being retained after the school hires a coach after the season. Geary landed a commitment Thursday from Tremayne Johnson, a 6-foot-7, 200-pound forward from Los Angeles Southwest Community College, according to goazcats.com. Johnson can't sign yet, though, and the new coach will have to make his own evaluation.
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